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Massachusetts man gets new heart and gifted 'get well' card with winning lottery ticket

After Alex McLeish underwent double bypass heart surgery, he was gifted the world's luckiest "get well soon" card. His childhood friend gave him the card containing three instant lottery tickets, including one which turned out to be a $1 million winner.

“We double-checked it, triple-checked and quadruple-checked it because you want to make sure it’s real before you mention it to anybody,” McLeish told the Boston Herald. “It was a little bit of disbelief at first but then it settled in and it was like, 'Wow, I can’t believe this happened,' you know?”

McLeish of Attleborough, Massachusetts won a $1 million prize in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “$5,000,000 100X Cashword” instant ticket game, according to the Massachusetts State Lottery press release.

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Once McLeish started scratching off the “Your Letters” area of the ticket, the first three letters revealed were A, W and M, which just happen to be his initials. Then he noticed the word that appeared on the bottom row of his winning puzzle was “HEART," which the Massachusetts lottery called a "positive omen."

Alex McLeish won a $1 million prize from the Massachusetts State Lottery after his friend gifted it to him inside a “get well soon” card for his double bypass surgery.
Alex McLeish won a $1 million prize from the Massachusetts State Lottery after his friend gifted it to him inside a “get well soon” card for his double bypass surgery.

He received a one-time payment of $650,000 before taxes but said this wasn't his first time striking a lucky lottery ticket. McLeish won a $1,000 prize several years ago on a ticket he received from the same friend as a birthday gift, according to the state lottery's press release.

McLeish told the Boston Herald he plans to give some of his earnings to his adult sons and to his childhood friend, Larry.

Before winning, he booked a trip to the Bahamas. “It’ll just be a little bit more enhanced trip to the Bahamas,” he said.

Follow Gabriela Miranda on Twitter: @itsgabbymiranda

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Massachusetts man gets new heart and wins $1 million lottery